185- EVERY SOUL WILL TASTE DEATH, AND YOU WILL BE RECOMPENSED IN FULL (for deeds on Earth) ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION. HE WHO IS MOVED AWAY FROM THE FIRE AND ADMITTED TO PARADISE, HE HAS WON. BUT THE LOWER LIFE IS ONLY ENJOYING GOODS AND CHATTELS IN VANITY AND SELF DECEPTION.

“EVERY SOUL WILL TASTE DEATH”

Every human being and every living thing will die and perish. Allah the Highest referred to this experience as taste, which gives the impression of something not continuous, which death is. Death is a phase we go through until resurrection, following which life is eternal.

“AND YOU WILL BE RECOMPENSED IN FULL (for deeds on Earth) ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION”

On and after the Day of Resurrection, people get their real recompense for what they did in this life on Earth, either good or bad.

We often wrongly consider that, having more wealth, power and status, is a sign of Allah’s pleasure. In fact, as Allah the Highest says in the Ayah, our full recompense and true reward or punishment, takes place in the Hereafter, for Allah the Highest gives of his bounty in this life to those He loves and those He does not love.

“HE WHO IS MOVED AWAY FROM THE FIRE AND ADMITTED TO PARADISE, HE HAS WON”.

Winning the Paradise has to be after being saved from the Hell-Fire. No one enters the Paradise except through Allah’s Forgiveness and Mercy. Allah’s messenger, prayer and peace upon him, said: “None of you will enter the Paradise because of his deeds neither will it protect him from the Fire, not even me, but only through Allah’s Mercy”. (M: Monafqeen; 7)

The least status in the Paradise is better than the best we can imagine of pleasures and comfort. Allah’s messenger, prayer and peace upon him, said: “The lowest grade of you in Paradise is he who will be told: ‘Wish’ and he will wish and wish. Then Allah the Highest will say to him: “Did you finish wishing, he will say: ‘Yes’. Then Allah the Highest will say: ‘you will have what you wished and as much again’. (M: Eman; 310)

“BUT THE LOWER LIFE IS ONLY ENJOYING GOODS AND CHATTELS IN VANITY AND SELF DECEPTION”

This is a very profound statement from Allah the Highest, which we should all remember; about this life, and the pleasures in it. It is more detailed in another Ayah: “AND KNOW THAT THE LOWER LIFE IS NOTHING BUT PLAYING AND AMUSEMENT, BOASTING AMONG YOURSELVES, AND INCREASING IN YOUR WEALTH AND CHILDREN. IT IS LIKE RAIN WHICH DISBELIEVERS BECOME DELIGHTED WITH THE GROWTH OF PLANTS IT BRINGS FORTH, THEN IT WITHERS, THEN YOU SEE IT TURNED YELLOW, AND THEN YOU WILL SEE IT BROKEN UP; AND IN THE HEREAFTER THERE IS SEVERE PUNISHMENT AS WELL AS FORGIVENESS FROM YOUR LORD AND HIS PLEASURE. AND THE LOWER LIFE IS BUT THE ENJOYMENT OF THE GOODS AND CHATTELS IN VANITY AND SELF DECEPTION”. (S: 57 A: 20)

Allah the Highest gives us another parable about our lower life on Earth, saying: “AND GIVE THEM THE PARABLE OF THE LOWER LIFE, IT IS LIKE WATER WE SENT DOWN FROM THE HEAVEN, AND IT MIXES WITH THE PLANTS OF THE EARTH, SOON THEY BECOME BROKEN TO BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE WIND, AND ALLAH HAS POWER OVER EVERY THING”. (S: 18 A: 45)

We do not think about our life on Earth as being a temporary and often short. The most we often think about is having what we can of pleasures and wealth. Allah’s messenger, prayer and peace upon him, said: “A slave of Allah will keep saying: ‘my wealth, my wealth’. But he has three things only to take from his wealth; what he ate and it perished, what he wore and ruined, and what he gave away which is what he keeps, whatever else, he will go and leaves behind for others”. (M: Zohd; 4 & a: 2; 386,412)

Allah the Highest warns us about indulging in the pleasures of this life, which are temporary and short lived, while forgetting about the Hereafter which is eternal and everlasting. We should remember to work for the Hereafter before our life on Earth comes to an end, as then it is too late.